New York City – January 15, 2009 – Despite problems at the polls in 2000 and 2004, and fears that they would reoccur in the last election, the vast majority of Americans said they had a positive voting experience in 2008. Even more strikingly, citizens expressed strong enthusiasm about being engaged in their communities, according to a Public Agenda survey of voters conducted immediately following the presidential election.

“Given the historic nature of the recent presidential election, we thought that it would be enlightening to get a sense of what this civic experience meant for voters,” Ruth Wooden, president of Public Agenda, said. “Our Voter Experience Survey did exactly that, suggesting that Americans feel a strengthened sense of engagement with public life.”

The survey examined American voters' views about the voting process and how those experiences affect their role as citizens and their engagement in their communites. Many observers believe that a troubled election system can undermine voter turnout, views of electoral legitimacy, and civic participation in general. This survey, fielded in the weeks following the presidential election, attempted to see what kinds of reactions people had to the voting experience.

Stephen B. Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, said, "At a time when the President-elect is calling for 'active citizenship' to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we were especially heartened by the fact that Public Agenda's survey emphatically indicated that voters overall had a high level of engagement and are primed for further civic involvement."

Conducted by Public Agenda, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization devoted to public opinion and public policy, and funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the survey did reveal significant doubts about the legitimacy of the election system, even though most people say their own experience was positive.

The results of the survey are based on 1,485 telephone interviews conducted with a national random sample of adults aged 18 and older. It was conducted between November 5 and November 16. The margin of error for the overall sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Voting Experience Overwhelmingly Positive

The vast majority of voters were happy with their voting experience:

• 9 in 10 said that their voting experience was positive and that poll workers did a good job overall
• Very few reported long lines, technical problems or improper practices at their polling places
• 95% said they were glad they spent the time voting, no matter how long the lines
• Polling places got good marks compared to other institutions where people transact business in person. More people (79%) rate their polling place as “very-organized” than give good marks to their local bank (78%), post office (65%), Department of Motor Vehicles (54%) or fast food franchise (35%)
• 72% said that their voting experience was better than the last time they voted

Low-Income Voters More Concerned

Although low-income voters were more likely to say they were excited about voting, they expressed more concerns about their polling place:

• 79% of low-income voters said they were excited about voting, compared with 63% of upper-income voters.
• More low-income voters (18%) say poll workers were not able to answer questions compared to 7% of upper-income voters.

And more low-income voters (13%) say the results from their polling places may not be accurate compared to 6% of upper-income voters.Not surprisingly, satisfaction with the experience seems partly driven by whether their candidate won. While only 9% reported a negative experience, 50% of those were McCain voters, compared to 26% Obama voters.

Concerns About Legitimacy of Process Persist

Nevertheless, voters expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the election system. This seems, however, to be driven more by perceptions and media coverage, rather than personal experience at their own polling place:

• Only 8% are worried about the accuracy of the results at their polling place
• But 62% are concerned there were organized efforts to register people who weren’t eligible
• 55% are concerned some people who are registered may not have been allowed to vote
• 53% are concerned that some people were not allowed to register
• 51% are concerned there were organized efforts to discourage voting among some groups

Vast Majority Had Strong Involvement with the Election

Voters said they were highly involved with election and valued the act of voting:

• 87% say they feel like they are a part of democracy when they vote
• 79% say talked about the issues that came up during the election
• 73% say their vote made a difference in this election
• 71% say they feel guilty when they don’t vote
• 65% say they were more excited about voting in this election than other elections

Engaged Citizens Have Unique Traits

Engaged citizens—those who not only vote, but also are involved in local affairs apart from elections—had several unique characteristics when compared to those who only vote.

In fact, 61% of our sample of voters indicated that they volunteered on a frequent basis in the past year; participated in civic organizations, such as the PTA, Rotary Club, or a neighborhood association; or attended local meetings of organizations, such as the school board meetings or city council.

Nine in 10 (89%) of these engaged citizens say they vote in every election, including local ones, compared with 75% of non-engaged voting citizens.

Strong Interest in Future Civic Engagement

Looking ahead:

• 61% of all voters say they will “give as much or more” to charity over the next year
• 59% say they will participate in community organizations “as much or more” as they did this past year
• 53% say they will be “as much or more” active in political campaigns over the next few years.

African American and McCain Voters Primed for Further Engagement

Surveys often find that people overstate their willingness to do "good deeds," and this "halo effect" may be stronger in this case because of enthusiasm surrounding the election of the nation's first black president. “Nevertheless, we find it highly significant that two groups that had significantly different views of the outcome, African Americans and McCain voters, both report a high willingness to engage in their communities,” Wooden said. “African Americans were clearly energized by the results—and McCain voters, on the whole, were not deterred. Both seem especially primed for further civic engagement.”

• 80% of African Americans agree that they’ll participate as much or more in community activities next year, compared with 57% of whites
• 74% of African Americans agree that they’ll give as much or more to charity next year, compared with 59% of whites
• 74% of African Americans agree that they’ll be as active in political campaigns next year, compared with 50% of whites
• 62% of McCain supporters say they will give to charity
• 60% of McCain voters say they will participate in local organizations
• 52% say they will be active in political campaigns

Early Voting Driven by Convenience, Not Dissatisfaction

When it comes to the phenomenon of voters who vote early, the survey found that people did so primarily for convenience (86%) rather than out of a sense of necessity, frustration or a previous bad experience. The other significant factor for voting early was that people (74%) said it was because they had already made up their mind.

Given that large numbers of voters were engaged during the campaign; they had a good voting experience; and they report their intention to stay engaged next year. One of the major and timely implications of the survey is that there currently is a fertile environment and genuine opportunity for civic engagement.

The complete survey results are available at http://www.publicagenda.org/reports/the-voting-experience.

Public Agenda, www.publicagenda.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public opinion research and civic engagement organization whose mission is to close the gaps between leaders and the public. Public Agenda is well respected for its influential public opinion polls, balanced citizen education materials and community-based engagement initiatives.